ABSTRACT
A phenomenological approach is taken to make sense of pilgrim motivations and understandings of how they transact with sacred powers through pilgrimage. The concept of pilgrimage as a segment of a bigger religiouseconomic cycle is illustrated by shifting the frame back to the time before the advent of modern technology in agriculture, when local farmers relied on rains and rivers for a successful rice harvest. Crucially, the sequential relationship of pilgrimage and rice cultivation, demonstrates that Ganja jal is offered to Shiva at the two points in the rice cultivation cycle when anxiety is greatest. Articulate pilgrims describe what they do as the absolute giving or samarpan, a concept that encompasses both bhakti and tapasya. Kanwariyas feel revitalized after their pilgrimage through making contact with the divine. This renewed energy is channeled towards securing vitality for living.
